


Book One A dance among the stars.

by BerryShiara



Series: Inescapable Honor [1]
Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Asari - Freeform, F/F, Pre Mass Effect One, Space Battle, Year 2168
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-13
Updated: 2019-06-06
Packaged: 2019-08-23 00:09:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 19,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16608086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BerryShiara/pseuds/BerryShiara
Summary: Enter The Lupa and her crew. A small Asari corvette owned by Charis Tasoula, working as an escort from Illiam to Elysium.A dangerous rout often plagued by Batarian pirates and raiders of all sorts.





	1. Prelude

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Obligations](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4746590) by [Joking611](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Joking611/pseuds/Joking611). 



> Special note: I have face claims for my characters for any interested artists.
> 
> Year: 2168  
> Location: Milky Way, Petra Nebula, Vetus System on their way to Elysium from Illium
> 
> Tasoula Adresteia [Resurrection] - Asari, Matriarch, Charis, Owner of The Lupa  
> Ismene (Isme) [Knowledge] - Asari, Maiden, Honor guard of House Adrasteia  
> Dido [Wanderer] - Asari, Matriarch, Head of House Adrasteia Security: Ash blue almost gray in color. Eyes so dark they appear black. Facial tattoo is three decending lines under her right eye each one shorter than the next, and a strip of tattoo on her bottom lip.  
> Nyx Medousa [Guaridan of the night]- Asari, Matron, Captain of the Lupa  
> Olethros (Gunny) - Asari, Maiden, Gunnery Chief of the Lupa  
> Hesperos [Evening star] - Asari, Maiden, Communications Officer of the Lupa  
> Constantia (Tia) [Steadfast] - Asari, Matron  
> Schedio Me (ScheMe) [Design By] - Asari, Maiden  
> Io [Moon] - Asari Matriarch, Pilot of the Lupa  
> The Lupa - Asari Corvette owned by Tasoula  
> Agapiménos - A transport frigate

A light knock on the open portal drew silver blue eyes up from the data pad. 

“Charis, we are about to drop out of FTL.” 

“Have preparations been made?”

A richer, deeper voice from behind the young maiden sounded clearly. “They have.” 

A smile touched her lips as she gave a dismissive nod to the maiden. “Thank you Isme.”

As the huntress stepped away from the narrow door the head of her security stepped in.  
“We have only minutes Charis Tasoula, the women have made every preparation. The moment we fall out of FTL our defenses will rise and our scanners will be fully operational. Have you heard from the captain of the Agapiménos?”

“20 Minutes give or take.” Tasoula said rising from her seat, she secured the pad and moved for the hatch. 

Dido grunted as she fell into step just behind Tasoula. “That isn’t a very big window.”

“It is not.” Tasoula agreed as she sealed the jacket collar closed around her neck. Together they double timed it to the command deck.  
\----

Already the Lupa’s captain of the deck was counting down their drop from FTL. Tasoula raised up on her toes and clicked the back of her boots together, they jerked her down to the deck as the magnetics came online. 

The first few moments out of FTL were crucial. The ship could not properly scan for enemies that might be laying in wait while in faster than light travel, and given the frequency of known acts of privateering in this sector left her and her crew coming out with fangs bared. 

The mass effect envelope collapsed at the very same moment that the ships interior gravity shutdown. She scanned the room but every one had been prepared just as Dido had said. Not a single item shifted out of place when their internal gravity went down.

It was seconds before the onboard computers were able to properly map the system, heartbeats of precious time they could not afford to lose.  
“Com?” Captain Nyx pressed as the sensors flicked green across the board.

“Adjusting for the Relay….” In the span of a breath they had a reading. “Four torpedoes!”

“Gunny?” Captain Nyx asked, but her Gunnery Chief was already moving.

“GARDIAN online! Targeting!” 

“Weapons free.” Nyx nodded at the incoming ordinance.

On the forward screens the aft sensors tracked the oncoming torpedoes. For them to be so close they must have launched them the moment the relay powered up.

The first two torpedoes were dispatched far enough away that when the disruptor pulse exploded it only did minimal damage and gave them a brief opportunity to prevent further draining of their shields by the remaining two.

“GUNNY HOLD!” But the call came too late. The last of the disruptor torpedoes were hit by the ship’s defense cannon and splashed both payloads against their kinetic barriers causing them to further drain leaving the Lupa in a precarious position. Weakened as they were it would not take much to overload their kinetic barriers

“Evasive maneuvers! Get me facing those ships!” 

Tasoula reached out for the command console bracing herself as the Lupa did an almost instant 180 degree flip into a sudden offensive position that brought her main guns back on the pirates. It gave the same feeling of being slingshot through a mass relay as the g-force at even sublight speeds sent her stomach churning as they were thrown to one side. A feat they could never have accomplished safely with their ships artificial gravity on.

“Two torpedoes incoming!”

With their kinetic barriers in the state they were it was an educated guess that these next torpedoes were to cause damage rather than absolute destruction… after all there was much less profit in a derelict.

“Give me full thrust!”

There was a short opportunity to get ahead of the projectiles while their onboard computers were set into temporary standby. A mass effect field could damage the ships they came from, so Torpedoes were not active the moment they were released. Giving them a very small window to dodge them… at least temporarily.

Tasoula shifted her gaze from the vid screen to the command console she shared with Captain Nyx.

“Com did the torpedoes re-acquire target?” Nyx looked to their sensors not yet able to see the individual signatures.

“Yes ma’am. Torpedoes have reacquired target.” 

“Time to deliver the payload.” Nyx said with a fierce grin. “When I say, I want you pulse stealth mode and cut main engines.”

“Captain…”

Nyx looked to Tasoula who had until that moment remained quiet on the command deck.

“With our barriers drained and thrusters cut we will be taking the heat of the blast.”

“Time to shields cycle?” Nyx asked, her eyes never leaving Lady Tasoula.

“20 seconds…” Hesperos replied in a clipped voice.

Nyx smiled and turned her attention to the fast approaching Batarian frigates. The Gunny’s answer seemed enough for Nyx, but it did little to soothe her own fears.

“Prepare to go dark in ten.”

Tasoula stood with her features composed so as not to let the women see the concern she had about this high risk, high reward maneuver. If their timing was off by even the slightest the Lupa could be damaged.

“All hands brace for proximity blasts!” Nyx said over the ships com.

Before the captain finished the sentence there was an explosion, it rocked the small corvette and caused Tasoula to take a step forward, reaching reflexively out as Dido took several steps herself. 

“What the hell?!” Nyx asked as she braced herself on the command console. “REPORT!”

A second blast followed the first; from the command deck they could hear the ablative armor tearing under the explosions, and a more ominous blast deep from within the ship. 

Tasoula twisted forward, raising both hands as the command console began to fizzle. The blue glowing light of biotics extending as she summoned them. Pushing Nyx back from the console with one biotic thrust while trying to simultaneously dampen the blast from the rest of the bridge crew. 

“Fire suppression is down, main engines offline. There is a red light in engineering and deck 4 port side cargo.”

Beside her Dido stepped up, her own biotics spilling into the spaces around the console as it gave way. Sealing the blast behind the protective barrier. 

Somewhere behind them Nyx was barking commands again.  
“Send a team to engineering, full gear! Seal off that cargo bay and vent it.”

The only explanation for the premature blasts from their aft was that the Batarians weren’t as dumb as Nyx had hoped they would be. Seeing her intentions they had blown their own torpedoes before they could be turned back upon them. Considering how close they were it would likely cause them some damage, but they weren’t the ones with a cycling kinetic barrier.

The ships that they had been approaching were now within close combat range, and despite the damages both of them may have taken from the blasts, the spurs of the Batarian freighters were now a real threat. Kinetic barriers were not going to protect them even if they did have them back by now. 

“Maneuvering thrusters?!” Nyx asked.

“Fifty percent.”

“Full starboard thrust!” The command was to put them up on their port wing rolling them away from the spurs, but at their current speed the thrusters weren’t going to be enough. 

“Gunny! Light them up!”

Even exposed as they were, they weren’t the only ones. GARDIAN lasers were short ranged but effective, kinetic barriers were no match for lasers, and ablative armor melted like butter under the focused beams.

Tasoula rolled her wrist up looking at her omni tool with a dubious expression. The transport frigate they were escorting was going to be entering this system virtually on top of them, and soon.

She looked up as the spur they were trying to evade caught the underside of their belly. The metal tearing through ablative armor until it hit the first line of their cooling grid. She was unsure how many of the ceramic cubes used to vent heat from their vessel was sliced through and how many of them burst from the spur. But it was painful to listen to. Each piece of the grid that it rendered inert with its destruction would be another mark against them. Blessedly they were already in system but, it was going to get hot.

Her eyes shifted to Captain Nyx. The woman had dragged herself up and was steadying herself against a console while cradling an arm. Their eyes met as the Batarians spur slipped at last from the underbelly of the ship and into space once more. If they had been anywhere else besides in system it would have been a crippling blow… and by the expression on Captain Nyx’s face, she knew this.

The com crackled as their Engineer’s voice came online. “Fire in engineering is out, Chief Tia is down. They are moving her to medical now. Main engines are up but we need port soon.

“Can we safely come about?” Tasoula asked motioning for their Captain to be silent as she spoke.

“It’s not maneuvering that has me worried…” Schedio Me responded.

“Can we or can we not?!” Tasoula repeated.

“We can, but if you plan on using our main gun… it’s gonna get hot as hell in here… and fast.”

“Take appropriate measures.”

“Aye, aye, ma’am.”

“Bridge to medical, prepare for heat exhaustion.”

“Acknowledged Charis.” 

“Helm, slave the eezo core and begin preparations for main battery fire.”

With their main drive core slaved they continued to drift, While the energy from their core was growing quickly, the vid screen was polarized. To the Batarians sensors it was as if their engines were malfunctioning, by the time they realized what truly was going on it would be too late.

A few worried glances moved about the room as the temperature jumped several degrees, but Tasoula did not flinch. Her eyes on the drive cores readings.

“Io’ bring us around.”

“Aye, firing all thrusters.” 

“All hands brace for main gun! Helm square off and fire!”

When the ships ezo core turned upon their enemies, the drive was shifted into armed mode all thrusters went to max to help absorb the initial burst and all that gathered energy was forced outward in a direct line towards the Batarian frigates, the energy being pushed in a graviton wave half a kilometer wide.

The ships were engulfed in what would have been a blinding blue light had it not been for their polarized screens. It peeled the outer hull away, and eventually bulkheads and beams splitting them open like ripe fruit. Atmosphere wasn’t vented, it violently decompressed, mangling the frigates into crumpled slag until ship and crew shared the same fate.

The wave passed the frontal tip of the mass effect relay, and moved off into deep space, it was long gone by the time the transport freighter Agapiménos ported in. They watched breathless as the Batarian pirates bumped and thumped over the kinetic shields of the freighter, and tumbled aimlessly into the void beyond.

Hesperos cleared her throat softly breaking the morbid silence. “A call from the Agapiménos for you Charis.”

“Put it on the overhead.” 

“Lady Tasoula… a garrish welcoming, but it’s good to see you in one piece… in a manner of speaking. Do you require assistance?” 

“Captain Risus, welcome to the Vetus system, one of my crew in gravely injured, it would be a personal favor to me, if you could transport her to Elysium ahead of us.”

“Will do, and for what it’s worth... thank you. I will prepare our main docking hatch. Agapiménos out.”

“Goddess bless Agapiménos.” Tasoula signaled for the call to be ended and then spoke up. “Io… reset our drive core and begin discharging what we can.” Silver blue eyes shifted around the room looking to each of them. “Dress down and drink plenty of fluids, it’s going to be a long flight to port. No one is left alone… no one.” She shifted her attention to Nyx then motioned to the lift. “I will escort you to medical. “Matriarch Dido has the con.”

“Yes Charis Tasoula.” Dido nodded and stepped forward putting hands on Io’s shoulders. “Medical...”


	2. Seeing Forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam Adama owner of Mass Field Design & Repair meets his newest problem. An Asari Corvette and her Captain who has his best mechanic more than a little rattled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special note: I have face claims for my characters for any interested artists.
> 
> Year: 2168  
> Location: Illyria on Elyssium
> 
> Cast  
> Liam Adama - Human, Male, Owner of Mass Field Design & Repair  
> Amelie DuPont - Human, Female, G7 Engineer  
> Tasoula - Asari, Charis  
> Scorch - Krogan, Male, mechanic  
> Polol - Salarian, Male, Engineer  
> Gus - Human, Male, G6 Engineer

“DU PONT!”

The sound of a wrench falling on concrete preluded a soft curse seconds before there was a sharp response.  
“What!” A grease smudged face appeared out from under the mule. Her expression accusatory as she rubbed a now dirty red spot on her forehead.

His face was a mix of fatherly pride and sympathy. More than once Liam Adama had said that the transport was beyond hope, and still it seemed that his best mechanic disagreed. Dubbed,0 The Mule, the device was designed to help lift and carry heavy loads most specifically to help when colonizing a world. They were worked hard and worked often, this particular mule had been second hand before its journey to Elysium. Eight years of hard dock work left it old and tired and would probably do them better as a show piece in a museum somewhere. Still the redhead that lay on a grav roller beneath it couldn’t let it rest in peace… or rather pieces. 

He offered a hand down to the gifted mechanic. “We got a wounded bird coming in. I want you on the repair team.”

Though she didn't move he kept his hand extended while she lay there looking up at him for a moment still rubbing at that spot on her noggin.

Amelie Du Pont, had run the gamut of life at the young age of 32. Despite her inherited wealth and personal tragedy she chose to work for a living. Not happy to live as a world hopping debutante or a freelance gizmo wizard, she had earned her G7 status every step of the way. Knowing her as he did, she probably earned it twice as much as the next Engineer.

Some would call her his pet project, but he didn't have room for a high maintenance noblesse in his hangar. Elitist no but elite she was. In his experience there wasn’t a better engineer or machine whisperer in the whole of Alliance space. What a master surgeon could do for a living patient, Amelie could do for a mechanical one. So if she wanted to lay a few extra minutes under the defunct carcass of a colonial transport sledge, he could afford those extra few moments.

“A merchant ship?” She asked reaching for his hand. A black and silver artificial limb grasped his own and he walked backwards, pulling her out from under the mule before helping her up. With the Mach 5 industrial model Amelie had the strength in her right hand to tighten lugs on a ground vehicle with the power of an impact wrench. It was its tactile sensitivity that kept her from crushing his hand when she took it. 

“Escort from Illiam.” Liam watched to see if she would protest. After the Med Bay incident that took her mother’s life, he wouldn’t have much recourse if she chose to recuse herself.  
Instead of the fire that he expected she sighed pulling at the bandana on her head, using the actions to break eye contact. 

Auburn hair tumbled free as she pulled at the only thing holding it back. 

Another concession that he gave to her and her alone due to special circumstances. 

Using the soiled cover Amelie only managed to smear the grease on her face rather than remove it.  
“Batarian pirates?” She asked before meeting his eyes once more. 

The tired soul that memory had given him a glimpse of was hidden once again. Pulling a rag from his pocket he held it up before answering. “Spose so. They didn’t elaborate a whole lot.”

Amelie brushed at the burnished locks marking her face once more.

 

He pressed the rag into her hand, shifting behind to pull auburn hair back away from her face.

“Thanks.” She managed. “What kind of escort ship are we talking about?”

Twisting her hair into a thick coil he pulled an o-ring he kept on his wrist for such an occasion, twisting it back and again until it held her wild mane at bay in a messy bun. “Didn't say, only informed it was to take precedence over our current tasks.”

“Great, just what I need...” Amelie growled. She paused at the sound of the mobile crane’s landing thrusters as it brought in the unknown craft.

He found himself smirking despite her obvious annoyance. Finishing with the tying of her hair Liam stepped up beside her. The two of them turned at the sound of the crane. 

“... an entitled cowboy breathing down my neck with eezo in his pants.” she finished.

The snicker at her assessment of a fighter jock died, as the crane turned revealing its heavy load. An Asari Corvette pound for pound was the size of an Alliance frigate, it was not unheard of that a ship be wider than it was long, but this one was less of a boxy design than any he had seen before. From behind the dangling rig one of the crew, perhaps the Captain of the Lupa gave the crane a wide berth.

She was dressed much like he expected a pirate hunter might be. Black on black with only a sparkle of teal and silver, her gradient colored skin a mix of ocean blues both deep and coastal. He amended his first thought, THIS was the Captain; even from this distance she cut a formidable figure. Alien or not, she held herself like someone who knew command.

As the crane worked the sleek Corvette into the voluminous hangar Liam leaned over and spoke above the cranes noise. “I’ll remind you, you said that.” His smirk grew bigger at the look she gave him.

They stood side by side watching the Asari captain as the corvette was slowly but carefully directed into Mass Field Design’s repair dock.

“So… I’m guessing, a dark exotic killer who knows how to use a fork in 62 different ways to murder you.”  
He waited expectantly for a response to his glib assertion only to have none forthcoming. Curiously his eyes shifted from the dark clad Asari to Amelie.

The world may not have changed after Amelie’s emergency amputation but the way that she perceived it, had. The colors of life, she had called it. The Doctors called it Synesthesia, but knowing that did little to explain the complexities that had caused it… and what it meant for her and the rest of them. The thing was it had to do with her brain, and the way it coped with the amputation. In its need to make sense of the world once more it had remapped a few of her 5 senses.

She could see a person for who they truly were. There was no getting to know you, no trial and error… she simply knew. Sometimes the people who crossed her path would haunt her for days depending on the dark secrets that they carried. Deeds once hidden in silence were painted upon them for her to see. 

He had come to trust her and this new found ability, used it to better his relations with the ships Captains. Her insights on them often proved useful in keeping the peace, and himself and his people in safe, gainful employment. Knowing who to trust and who to turn down was a big deal when you lived on the edge like they did. It had become a part of their routine, a game they played. Him trying to guess what kind of people they were before she told him. Warned him who the killers were with their suffocating crawling colors and those who had bad intentions from the beginning… but today, her face expressed nothing he had ever seen before in the people around her.  
She stood there gazing at that Asari Captain in what he would have described as awe or perhaps longing.

“Hey.” He said as gently as possible. Despite his intentions not to frighten her out of the thrall she had fallen into it was clear he had done just that. “You gonna be okay?” He asked. 

“Okay.” She said and nodded even though her eyes never met his. “Yes.”  
Her words were like that of a parrot rather than the witty repartee he was accustomed to. 

“Lee.” He said and physically turned her until the captain was no longer visible. “Lee look at me.” his tone insistent. 

She blinked and looked up at him with an embarrassed expression. 

“Are you going to be okay? Can you do this?”

Her eyes met his before shifting back towards the Asari Captain over her shoulder. “Be honest and forthright with her. She will appreciate it. Ask her about her crew. She loves them.” 

“That’s not what I asked.” He said still worried. Their relationship had developed into something very near father and daughter after the death of Amelie’s mom. He cared for her, enjoyed her company and the time they spent together as friends… and in cases like these he deemed it part of his duty to worry about her.

“I will be fine.” 

He did not fight her when she pulled herself from his arms, but he could not help but express dismay at her words. He stood there a moment unsure what to do or how to progress, holding his clipboard almost like a shield against his chest.

Giving him an impish grin she put hands on his shoulders and turned him in the direction of the Captain before rapping on his clipboard. “Use her name, you will impress her. She wants to believe not all humans are big dumb apes.” Giving him a gently push she urged him to go meet the Asari captain.

“Great... I am an ape.” He muttered over the noise of the crane on his way down the walkway. Now that he was in motion he tried to focus on the task at hand. Looking at the name scrawled on his clipboard one last time he repeated the unfamiliar sound over and over under his breath as he made his way towards the Captain. 

A second black figure appeared making their way over to the Captain from the opposite side. By the looks of them, one of the crew. He gave his full attention to the Asari captain even as the crewman took up stance on the other side of their shoulder. Subconsciously he realized this was a protective gesture towards the distracted woman and so stopped an extra step back.

“Captain.. Adrasteia.” A moment of satisfaction filled him at the brief flash of surprise on the Asari’s face. “My name is Liam Adama,” Reaching forward he offered his hand and to his relief she took it. Their shake was firm but not at all crushing. “I am Chief of the Deck.”

“Chief.” He got an acknowledging nod and a brief glance. Her attention however was on the crane that was still wrestling her Corvette into the Hangar.

Lowering his clipboard he clasped his hands in front to wait quietly. It was obvious that they would get no further while the recovery crew settled the damaged ship into her sickbed. It gave him time to contemplate exactly how old the woman was, and what might make her enthralling to Lee. With only a brief glance he got the feeling those ageless eyes had seen some things, there was kindness there too. Worry for the future, at least a more predictable one, the one that included her ship and her crew. 

The moment that the recovery team had the Lupa secured into her bay the Asari turned to him and gave a brief smile. “Chief Adama.” She said showing his previous introduction was indeed received well.

“Captain.” He returned once more, jumping back into action. “Will I have the pleasure of getting to work with your Engineering Chief?”

“Unfortunately Chief, My Engineer is in your hospital. But I was assured that you would be able to begin work on the Lupa as soon as possible. For the safety of you and your people however I suggest that perhaps we wait until she finishes cooling.”

Despite the notoriety of ship captains wanting them to part the waters as it were, he found that he liked this woman. Not that he should be surprised, but her manner was everything Lee had said it would be. Already she showed that he and the lives of his staff had worth, thus giving value to her own crew. Anyone who cared for their people, and his by proxy got extra points in his books.  
“Yes Ma’am, we will. Provided either you walk us through what she needs, or we are given access to some of her diagnostic systems.”

The Captain remained standing there before him relaxed as they spoke.“Since it was our heatsink systems that malfunctioned, gathering data was the least of our worries when we touched land.”

By that time a third Asari joined the Captain and her quiet guard. This one too taking up stance at the Captain's back, her body at the same level of undress as the other two. Not having a whole lot of exposure to the exotic aliens he surmised that their current outfits were either designed to be relaxed or a dressing down due to the level their internal temperature had reached before they made landfall.  
“How hot did it get?” He asked, his eyes sweeping back to the Captain.

 

“Last check after the final salvo,” When she paused he nodded, hopefully assuring her that was indeed his question.  
“... 52°C.” 

“Damn…” He murmured, scratching at his beard. He bet the Lupa had been a glowing blue star as it came in for an emergency landing. Even now the dark hull radiated heat into the entire hangar. “Your crew all make it?” Something moved in the alien Captain's eyes that if he ventured to guess was her estimation of him as a man rather than his abilities as Chief of the Deck. 

“If my Engineer pulls through, yes.” With a simple gesture she bid him take the lead.

Liam stepped forward walking them into the hangar, his eyes scanned for Amelie, she was off the upper scaffolding inspecting the Corvette despite the heat it was still putting off. With a touch to her ear the vents began to open, giving a cross wind. She stopped a few meters back and waited looking much like an infatuated teenager. His worry returned.  
“Captain.” He paused as they reached her. “This is Engineering Specialist Amelie Du Pont. She is assigned as lead to your bird.”

“Captain.” Amelie said stiffening in respect.

If Captain Adrasteia felt any surprise about him informing her she would not be getting his direct attention the Captain of the Lupa covered it well, honestly he couldn’t tell. 

“Specialist Du Pont.” Captain Adrasteia gave a small nod in recognition to the woman who stood before her. “Forgive my intrusion upon your work schedule. Any help you can give will be very appreciated.” 

Still unsure as to her reaction to this woman Liam thought it might be a good idea if he stepped closer to Lee, feeling justified when her hand sought his arm. He felt his adrenals kick in as he looked to her, her face had bled away all color save the hot blush to pale freckled cheeks. 

”Captain.” The word came out breathless. She took a deep breath and motioned them away from the hot ship. “Forgive me, I feel a little overwhelmed by the heat.” A poorly executed deflection, but perhaps it wasn't for him.

By now, Liam was sure she was not fine at all. He felt her lean against him for support, as they stepped away; a simple action that had all the alarm bells in his head screaming. He shifted to give what support he could.

“Do you need to sit down?” The Asari asked, surprising them both at how well she was reading the physical distress in Amelie.

“No, I will be fine.” She said giving an embarrassed smile. 

Despite her strong hand still holding onto his arm it was her tone that gave him pause. Clenching his jaw he gave Lee a serious look; her eyes did not waver nor did her hand tremble. What he really wanted to do was tell her “You are NOT fine, you ARE going to the clinic, and this woman can be given to another.” But how to say all these things in the Captain’s presence was another matter.

“It has passed.” 

If she was trying to evoke confidence in him, a breathy whisper was hardly the way. Grasping his Specialist by the arm he excused them both. “Please give us a moment Captain.” He said before pulling Lee away so that he might better understand what it was she was dealing with. Blessedly Amelie allowed herself to be guided by him without incident.

On the other side of the Alliance transport sledge he stood in such a way that Ame’s back was to the Asari captian, where she couldn’t be distracted by whatever was going on. When she showed signs of turning he touched her cheek softly blocking her. “Lee… I can’t help if you don’t tell me what's going on.” 

She gave several long blinks before reaching up to pull at the rubber o-ring in her hair. He recognized the motion for what it was, a distraction. It seemed whatever was happening she either didn’t have the words, or the understanding to share it with him. It was however clear that it had everything to do with the now patiently waiting Asari. When her eyes shifted like she might turn, he touched her cheek once more. “Think Lee, I need you to help me right now.”

Having your brain rewrite itself mid life was life changing. While it had given so much, it required even more. Now he watched her struggle with the effort to put her personal experience with the Synesthesia into words that he would understand… no small feat.

A million questions buzzed in his head; Was it her Synesthesia they were dealing with or was it a reemergence of the cancer that they had so aggressively treated? Their relationship was close, like family. It wasn’t something they actually spoke about it simply was, and the reality of losing her made fear dance down his spine. Was it difficult? Yes, but it was so important he couldn’t just let it go.

Taking her hands helped, she looked at him, really saw him and for a brief moment he glimpsed the Lee he had seen this morning, albeit a little… embarrassed?

“You will think I am crazy.” She said her words hardly above a whisper. She dropped her eyes to their joined hands as her lips tightened.

A soft relieved noise escaped him, sounding much like a chuckle, staunching it he shook his head. “It can’t get no crazier than what we got already kiddo.” He said and squeezed her hands reassuringly. “Tell me what you see.”

She dropped her gaze further, russet brows drawing tighter together. 

His eyes shifted past Amelie to the Asari captain and her retinue of guards. The guards were carefully inquisitive but not overtly so, they were attentive without being too interested, keeping an eye not only on them but the whole of the hangar and its crew. The Captain had no qualms about studying them. Her unflinching gaze met his then shifted to Amelie’s back before returning with an inquisitive raise of brow ridge. He thought better of her for the unspoken question. To him they were just more of the same… aliens who needed his services… without her he wouldn’t have given much extra thought to the trio.

Looking again to his specialist he reaffirmed “I can give this wreck to Polol.” He said wondering if what she saw was enough Lee would hand the wreck away… that happened sometimes when he took a job despite her aversion towards the captain or crew. Mercenaries usually…

Her hands tightened on his as green eyes suddenly focused on him with a challenging brilliance they had lacked. “You can’t!” She dropped her eyes then forced herself to meet his eyes once more the restlessness only growing. “I mean… I want her. I want her job, THIS job!” 

He was hanging between incredulous and dismay and it showed on his face. “You haven’t given me one good reason why I should let you take it after the way you have responded… tell me what you are all worked up about or I swear Polol gets the corvette.”

Lee drew in a long breath closing her eyes. While she couldn’t see Captain Adrasteia he imagined she envisioned her now once more in the planes of her mind. A place where she could draw up the images of those who inexplicably drew… or adversely repulsed her. A quiet space where she could focus on the individual and study them without judgment or reprisal.

“I see forever…” Lee murmured. 

The safe place where she could study the subject of her agitation always seemed distant to him. Her words spoken in such a way as to be coming from a far off place. 

“stretching out from here towards eternity…”

Her hands tightened again, her eyes moving restlessly beneath closed lids.

“She is as the sun, golden and brilliant...”  
He watched as Lee lifted her face ever so slightly as if towards the light of the sun. 

“...so beautiful.” Though distant Amelie’s voice was filled with a very telling mix of emotions.  
“The light cascades around her, touching, reassuring, caressing…” 

A soft noise caused him to swallow hard. It was no wonder she was both embarrassed and overwhelmed. When her eyes opened there was unshed tears glittering in them.

“Please…” Her request left his throat hurting as Amelie’s voice was pinched off from the emotions that were still affecting her. She swallowed and drew in a shuddering breath as the tears began to fall.

Extracting a hand Liam pulled a rag from his pocket using it to dab at her tears with some concern. They had once discussed how each color had made Amelie feel and how they pulled or pushed her. All colors could be both negative and positive excluding one… gold.

Just knowing the color that surrounded the Asari captain explained a lot of her response.

Fevered eyes held his. “She is MY sun Liam...” Amelie’s voice a tight whisper.

Clearing his throat he nodded. “Okay.” Lee claimed this woman… not even as a close friend but her sun… without it a world would die. 

Never before since the beginning of her synesthesia had she ever associated gold with an individual. Truthfully it was not something that Lee had given to any one thing either. As the color gold seemed to be something very personal to Lee. It was something that even in its most basic form could leave her speechless. To associate it now with this woman left no doubt in his mind that what Lee saw in the good captain was her soulmate… Seriously? How could he argue with that?

Still, it left a very big question unanswered… namely, given the very personal nature of what she saw, how in the world was she going to function?

By now they had gathered the attention not only of the Asari but several of the engineers he employed. Every one of them trying to lend their support without being intrusive simply by being visible, and ready to lend a hand. The closest was a blonde skinned Krogan with a burnt umber carapace. 

“Scorch…” He called to the engineer beside them. The Krogan pocketed his wrench before lumbering forward. Liam handed Lee off to the hulking engineer.  
“Wait here… we… we will figure this out.” He said as he gave her arm a squeeze.  
Shifting his attention to the captain he found her still watching. It was with such attention he wondered if she somehow sensed there was something different about Lee. Was there a draw for her as well?

“Captain.” He started, as he returned to her small group trying to get things rolling again.

Slowly silver blue eyes shifted from where he left Amelie to him.  
“Yes Chief.”

“We will be very happy to assist you with your repairs.” He stated, hoping to get things settled and the Asari seen out as quickly as possible.

“Ah good.” She said with a business like nod. “When the Lupa has cooled one of us could as you previously stated, take you through the damages and give you some access to our systems diagnostics. I am afraid for now though she must remain a silent guest under your care. Counting for the rate of dissipation how does 3 hours sound?” 

“Three hours sounds good.” To his surprise she offered him her hand. A very human gesture to finalize their plans. He reached out and took it giving a firm shake.

“Chief, I have one last question before I go.” 

“Yes Captain?”

“Will Specialist Du Pont be alright?” She nodded past him to where the Krogan was hoisting the human up onto the upper walkway, sitting them on the edge with their feet dangling over. 

He followed her gaze seeing Scorch set Lee down as an adult might have a child. He couldn’t help the soft expression that touched his face. “A little bit of water, a little bit of air and she will be just fine.” He said returning his look to the Captain. 

 

She seemed to think on this a second or two, before giving another nod “Very good, we will see you in three hours.” With a final glance over to Amelie, Captain Adrasteia and her guards turned to leave.

When they left he turned to see Scorch standing protectively in front of Amelie so she wouldn’t toppel off the upper walkway and Polol handing Lee a bottle of water. With a grunt he moved back towards them trying to figure out how best to proceed.

“Okay.” He said moving back towards the small group that was gathering. “Now I don't doubt your status as genius and you are a hell of a G7 but even you must see how I am a bit poleaxed about how you are gonna get any work done on that bird.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder at the still cooling escort ship. 

As if on cue she asked. “Did they say how hot the internal t-”

“52°C.” Liam gave a wan smile as someone gave a low whistle. 

“Makes you wonder…” She began in a quiet awed voice.

“How much more they would have taken off if their trip had taken any longer?” This from Gus, who perched nearby wearing an eezo eating grin.

Despite their current situation he couldn't help but snicker, the group shared a chuckle, and even Lee cracked a smile before shaking her head.

“You are such a pig…” She groused good natured.

They were all quiet for a minute or two as his smile finally faded he looked to her.  
“Seriously Lee… how are you going to get any work done when you go all weak in the knees in her presence?”

She blushed looking up at him with surprise.

“You see everything but yourself kid.” He muttered.


	3. Amelie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amelie's pov  
> Meeting some of the crew of the Lupa and facing a silent test.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Amaltheia - Matriarch - Chief Medical officer of house Adresteia  
> Dido - Matriarch - Head of House Adresteia security

The machine the crane was carrying turned out to be a Corvette of the Asari people. It was dark and beautiful, in spite of the usual gaping hole in Asari design or… perhaps because of it. It had menacing elegance, an otherworldly creature that hunted amidst the stars. She had seconds to assess the score marks where a close range blade had literally gouged through its hull plating before the first of the Asari came into view.  
“I will remind you, you said that.” He said with a rumbling laugh.

She heard him and made a face but her attention was no longer on their conversation. From the far side of the crane one of the Asari appeared and she was watching them intensely. What she saw gave her reason to pause. A striking figure all on her own. Tall for an Asari, strong, defined. Clothed in black, wrapped in light. At this distance it clung tightly to her sea toned skin. Sparkling golden light, writhing, ever changing. One moment solid like the defined edges of a holographic construct. In another, a warm inviting diffused aura. It came from the woman who was intently watching the crane.

“Hey.” 

Electricity pulsed through her body when Liam spoke. Up until that moment, she had forgotten that he was there at all. Her heart leaped into her throat and thundered angrily. Any other time she would have punched him… hard, for frightening her, but she was currently distracted.

“You gonna be okay?”

“Okay.” She said hearing the words but her eyes were fixed still on the Asari. She couldn’t help but wonder if she were warm, did that light give off its own heat. She blinked seeing Liam still in her peripheral vision. “Yes.” She said because she could see his worry from her peripheral vision.

As she thought about the warmth that glow surely must put off she realized that her skin had gone cold. It tingled down her arm and legs and crawled up the nape of her neck.

“Lee, look at me.” 

Her musings were interrupted again as Liam’s hands gripped her arms and turned her body to face him. His actions were firm yet gentle, dark eyes demanding. She blinked at his chest before turning shining eyes up to him. 

“Are you going to be okay? Can you do this?”

With her mind still processing the radiant creature at the mouth of the hangar it took her a moment to gather her thoughts. He often asked what she saw, they made a game of it. Today, she didn’t want to play, but more than a game he got important information from her and that she could give.  
“Be honest and forthright with her. She will appreciate it. Ask her about her crew, she loves them.” Her voice softened and trailed off as her eyes once again found the Captain of the corvette.

“That’s not what I asked.” He said and to her he sounded both worried and annoyed.

She gave a wan smile. “I will be fine.” She said once more.

Seeing him still unconvinced she turned him in the direction of that radiant woman and rapped on his clipboard. “Use her name, you will impress her. She wants to believe not all humans are big dumb apes.”

He snorted and threw a look over his shoulder.  
“Great, I am an ape…”

She was grinning as he struck off to speak with the Captain.

 

Liam’s penchant for interpersonal interactions with every ship Captain that came through the hangar doors gave her ample opportunity to observe from a distance. In the years she had tangled with her Synesthesia she had always only seen such a powerful presentation in the damned. It was always shifting, searching, hungry… be it violence or death she was uncertain, it would lick at anyone brave enough to pass near them. She would walk out of her way to avoid such people, their dark suffocating color making her recoil.

This woman… she wore her golden light in the same way. Cloaked about strong shoulders, it cascaded out and around her, never reaching too far, lingering where she had been and touching those who stood near. The longer Amelie looked the tighter her chest became as a result her breaths were fast and shallow. It took everything in her to remain rooted to the upper platform as her universe shifted under the pull of that light. Even now Liam moved within it, unknowingly shifting to stand within its caress as the two of them watched the final stages of the ship's release into their tender care.

Behind them two guards stood, their colors eclipsed by the blazing light that was their Captains. She knew them both to be loyal and strong. Their duty not to the ship, not to some larger government… but to this woman and if it should ask the ultimate sacrifice, neither of them would hesitate to pay it. They were beautiful satellites reflecting the light of their universal sun… and she wanted to join them. 

The recovery crew dropped the lines that release the wounded bird into its cradle startling her once again. Taking a deep shuddering breath she forced her attention upon the Corvette. The ship was putting off a tremendous heat. Amelie could hear the rapid contraction of the hull as it ticked and pinged, resettling while it worked to cool down. The heat shimmered around the ship like the golden light around her Captain. The urge to look again had her eyes narrowing. She found it imperative to study the score marks that run down its side and under its belly where it had hit the ceramics of the ships heatsink. 

Kneeling down she peered under the craft to get a better view. Realizing that it wasn’t going to be enough she jumped down off the upper deck and forced herself to stand in its growing heat to see the damages done. The spurs that had left the marks cut through more than half of one bay and parts of the second. It would stand to reason this was the factor behind their current state of dress, she was sure it had gotten quite warm in the craft before they were able to land and vent. Lucky for them they had already been within reasonable distance of Elysium when it had all gone down. Not so lucky, she was sure for the Batarians who had met them on the other side of that still cooling cannon.

Despite her own warmth, the temperature in the hangar had her pulsing the VI through her com.  
“ViKY open all exterior vents in the main bay.”

Those vents were still whirring open when she caught sight of Liam making his way over with the Asari in tow.  
Honestly she did not feel ready to meet the woman that pulled so strongly on her. The only other choice she had was to allow Liam to assign another to the Captain, and that was even more undesirable in her eyes. You didn’t let the person you saw your future with pass off to the next guy because it overwhelmed you… 

Rubbing nervous hands over her fluttering stomach she tried to steel herself for the impending introduction. The closer they got the easier it became to taste her own pulse. It radiated in her head and throbbed across her tongue leaving her as breathless as she had been moments before. 

“Captain, This is Engineering Specialist Amelie Du Pont. She is assigned as lead to your bird.”   
He introduced her

Short of a salute Ame stiffened respectfully.  
“Captain.” Honestly what Amelie wanted was to shake the woman's hand, she was dying to know what that golden glow would feel like when it touched her skin, but she felt woefully unprepared for both her racing heart and Asari customs. If the woman was a mesmerizing figure 30 meters away she was so much larger than life in person. 

“Specialist Du Pont.” 

Briefly her tongue slid over dry lips as the kaleidoscope of butterflies in her stomach made the words she knew hard to understand. With lips parted Amelie tried to draw a deeper breath. 

“Forgive my intrusion upon your work schedule. Any help…”

The longer she spoke the less of the words Amelie actually understood. For the briefest of moments it actually felt as if she might fall backwards and so sought something to right her world. It was instinctual to reach out for Liam, he had been there for her so much in the last ten years, why shouldn't she find support now in his steadiness. He moved closer, while she held his arm trying to slow the spinning. 

“Captain...” The word came out breathy, and thick. It made her stomach roll over with not a wholly unpleasant sensations. She drew a heavy breath trying very hard to clear her mind and focus on the unsure face watching her.  
“Forgive me, I feel a little overwhelmed… by the heat.” She added the last and hoped that it would be taken at face value.

Liam shifted at her side, his hand pressing against her spine. It helped her thoughts clear, and so it was she leaned into it without thinking. Seeking his strength to anchor herself.

Do you need to sit down?”

“No, I will be fine.” She smiled more than a little embarrassed about her reaction. But nothing she had experience since waking up with Synesthesia had equipped her for this moment. 

“It has passed.” She said not convincing anyone.. Trying to have the continuity of your world catch up once more was terribly disorienting. She had to avert her eyes from the Asari as the lump in her throat tightened painfully. She wanted to beg for the Captain to step closer, to let it fill her space and wrap around her body until she breathed it in… or drowned trying. It was a terrify and exhilarating conundrum. The sensation of a stranger affecting her this strongly gave opposing desires; one to throw herself at the Matriarch, the other, to run in the opposite direction and let Liam pass the job off to another oblivious soul. With such a war being waged she felt rooted to her place, stuck staring at the Asari, waiting to see which side would win.

It was Liam who broke the stalemate. His hands, strong and rough grasped her by the arm and physically began to steer her away from the three Asari. “Please give us a moment Captain.” His words hear but not comprehended. It was his firm but gentle direction that got her moving.

He continued to direct her until they stood in semi private on the opposite side of the mule she had been working on. Turned in such a way that the Asari were lost to view somewhere behind her creating an overwhelming compulsion to look back.

A desire that Liam thwarted with a gentle touch to her cheek, refocusing her on his presence. 

“Lee…” He spoke softly so as not to be overheard by anyone but her. “I can’t help if you don’t tell me what’s going on.” His words soft but firm. His dark earthy eyes hard and worried.

It took her several moments for her mind to catch up with her body, and the new situation before her. She found herself blinking at him, it took several tries before she saw his determined expression. Like a person who had stared at the sun too long she had to let time pass as her consciousness recovered from such brilliance. 

She wasn't trying to be difficult, nor was she looking to work him up into an uproar, which he seemed to be doing as she tried to remember what it was he required of her. 

Since the colors of life had appeared she had experienced each and every one of them in one way or another. Every last one of them affecting her differently, sometimes good, sometimes bad. Of them all only gold had a way of leaving her immobile and often moved to tears. It was strong, and warm, it was beautiful and touched her deeply, so much so that they had to make a new rule at work. No one was allowed to wear it in the hangar for safety purposes. Now was the first time it had ever been attached to another living breathing soul… it made her feel things that shouldn't have been possible towards the Asari Matriarch. So when he asked her what’s going on she didn’t honestly have the words to tell him.

“Think Lee, I need you to help me right now.” He urged, capturing her small hands in his he gave them a reassuring squeeze. 

For the first time since the strange and beautiful creature had arrived that day, her mind felt drawn back to the plane of existence that she had known before. She saw Liam, and could tell in his eyes that he wanted desperately to know how to help her, and since she wasn't … helping; He was on the verge of making an executive decision. . . one she was sure she couldn’t live with.

“You will think I am crazy.” She whispered knowing that despite how much he loved her, he still had his reservations about her Synesthesia. How could she know what she did? How could what she was about to say be anything more than the gibberish of a touched soul? She looked to where their hands were joined and she knew that she needed him… and more importantly she needed him to believe in her.

He snorted and smiled shaking his grizzled head. “It can’t get no crazier than what we got already kiddo.” He said trying to reassure her with a gentle squeeze to her hands. “Tell me what you see.” He murmured and smiled again.

Even with his reassurances she felt the absurdity of the information weigh upon her. Her face tightening pensive as she tried to think of a better way to say it.

“I can give this wreck to Polol.” He said drawing her eyes up sharply. 

Reflexively she tightened her grip on his hands. “You can’t!” They stared for a long moment at one another neither one flinching.

“You haven’t given me one good reason why I should let you take it after the way you have responded… tell me what you are all worked up about or I swear, Polol gets the corvette.”

She swallowed hard and took in a long clean breath while closing her eyes. Sometimes it was easier to speak when she wasn’t staring into his eyes. To say the things that needed to be said without reading his response. It helped a little.

Amelie drew the image of that radiant creature into her minds eyes and sighed. Allowed herself to just gaze upon the lustrous alien without fear of judgment or reprisal.  
She continued with a shaky whisper.

“I see forever…”

Even if that light didn’t give warmth she knew without a doubt that the Matriarch would be, warm and strong, and soft… 

“...it stretches out from here towards eternity…” She said in a hoarse whisper still knowing it wasn't enough. She lowered her gaze feeling the heat return once more. How did you describe the embodiment of your future to someone? How any one person could fill such a role she didn’t know but she knew this woman was going to be very important to her. When her eyes met his they shimmered with tears in them.  
“I see my forever.” 

He was quick to pull a hand free, and grab the rag kept tucked in his pocket.

 

Clearing his throat he nodded. “Okay.” 

Time continued its strange disjointed jaunt as she found herself in Scorch’s hands with Liam walking back to the waiting Asari. 

The next moment she found herself perched on the upper deck, her legs hanging over the edge, Scorch’s watchful gaze upon her. He didn’t know what was going on, but it was clear he wanted to help. Her Salarian friend Polol shuffled up with a bottle of water, taking a seat beside her he opened it first then handed it over. His face too showed concern.

By the time Liam returned, they had a little gathering, the lot of them watching the Asari leave. 

With a deep breath Liam looked up at her from the hangar floor, his brow stitched in consternation. “Now I don’t doubt your status as genius, and you are a hell of a G7 but even you must see how I am a bit poleaxed about how you are gonna get any work done on that bird.” Their eyes shifted as he jerked his thumb over his shoulder at the deep cooling wreck.

“Did they say how hot the internal t-” 

He cut her off before she could finish, his expression unchanged.  
“52°C.”

Polol whistled low while shaking his head. She guessed it had to do with how his species was especially affected by temperatures.

“Makes you wonder…” She began in a quiet voice.  
Apparently she paused for too long because Gus finished for her in a cheeky tone “...how much more they would have removed if they were in there much longer?”

She snorted but couldn't help the slight smile that pulled at her lips. You are such a pig…” She growled but hardly meant it.  
They remained quiet a long moment when Liam’s smile finally faded she knew he was not yet through.

“Seriously Lee… how are you going to get any work done when you go all weak in the knees in her presence?”

Heat infused her face once more, suddenly it felt she was glowing white hot as a ship's thrusters on takeoff. If he had noticed did the Captain? She felt more than a little mortified at the thought.

“You see everything but yourself kid.” He muttered rubbing the back of his neck.

\------------  
\------------

True to his promise Liam did not remove her from the Asari corvette. Instead he settled in to work with her on it. A choice she had no issue with, so together they coated one of the ceramic vents with cooling foam before dropping it into a silicate moulding solution. This gave them precious time to start fabricating new replacement parts for the war ship. They were up under the ship prying off the shattered and burned remnants of the previous heat sink components when the Asari returned.

They both were a mess from the work. Her jumpsuit caked with unfired porcelain, it clung to the her hair as a fine dust and splotched up her arms. Water had splashed all over as they removed each ceramic cube. With Liam using a crowbar to pry them loose after removing the restraints, it was her job to catch them in a heated water bath to prevent shattering and any further damage. After they were wrestled from the cooling bath they were inspected for stress fractures. Those that passed inspection were set on a drying rack to finish cooling and await the process of being reinstalled. Out of the eighty 12x12 cubes, 37 of them had been damaged. They had a good rhythm that came to a staggering halt when the Asari appeared. She had heard him give warning but her attention slipped and the porcelain cube that she was suppose to have caught, hit the lip of the tub. Even when paying full attention and having the strength of a machine in her cybernetic right arm, something that weighed nearly twice your weight was a difficult thing to simply catch. There was only seconds before the inevitable happened.

With no thought to herself Amelie threw her small frame at Liam. He dropped the crowbar and the two of them crashed backwards away from the missed porcelain cube. It hit the cement floor and shattered into a million pieces. Going off much like a bomb, it exploded in a combination of heat and force that turned it into a claymore. She felt it pepper into her jumpsuit as she wrapped her arms around Liam’s head and tried to cushion him from the backwards fall.

Water hissed and popped, foaming for a few seconds as the room came to settle once more. 

Slowly Amelie pushed herself up looking around to see if everyone was okay. The three Asari were picking themselves up from the ground.

“Are you okay?” A soothing blue color surrounded the older Asari who began moving towards them, it swirled like the eddies along a river but she was clearly seeking to render aid. People who were caretakers usually had such colors. 

Taking a deep breath Amelie let it out with a frustrated sigh. 

Beneath her Liam cleared his throat reminding her he was still there.  
“I am fine, thanks for asking.” He said to the voice he did not yet see.

“Oh!” She peeled herself back fighting the urge to wince. “Sorry.” She murmured.  
He looked something like a golem when he sat up. Water cascaded from the back of his jumpsuit as he gave a quick look around.  
“Everyone alright?” He asked.

A few other workers in the hangar had stopped what they were doing to see what happened but when they came forward Liam waved them off. 

“I think so.” She said only feeling her wounded pride at the moment.

“I am a doctor, My name is Matriarch Amaltheia.” The dark blue woman said as she kneeled down to better look at Liam. Then across at Amelie herself. 

“Doctor.” She said nodding.

Something the Doctor saw made her move forward, kneeling in the water and taking Amelie’s head in gentle hands. They were warm and soothing, her scent like the dark of a forest. “Look up at me.” the Doctor instructed. 

Looking up she met the Doctor’s eyes. They stared into hers for a long moment, studying them, searching for what she could only guess. Conscious of how personal the inspection had become Amelie gave a brief half smile. “I am fine.” She murmured privately to the older Asari.

“I will be the judge of that.” Amaltheia said in a brusque but warm tone, her thumb brushing at some of the caked porcelain on Amelie’s face.

To fight the doctor seemed an absurd idea so she remained still in the older womans hands. Quiet, watchful as a child under a mother’s hand. She studied the Doctor’s face even as Amaltheia inspected her with a touch that was soothing as the aged doctor ruffled through her hair feeling her head. Strong slender fingers paused when finding the healed scar and the slight seam the replacement bone had caused when it healed.

If she had not been watching the older woman's eyes she would have missed the question that registered in them. “What?” Amelie asked in a soft voice.

Gentle fingers slid down the back of her neck under the weight of her hair brushing against damp skin, as arms came to rest on Amelie’s shoulders

“Hmm.” Amaltheia murmured to herself. There was a sort of reverence to the older Asari’s voice as she spoke. It made her wonder what it was she had been searching for but Amelie didn’t know the questions to ask and so remained quiet… for now.

The older woman’s gentle probing finally stopped, and she sat back on her heels to look at her.  
“You seem well.” She said with a nod. 

Amelie gave a patient smile up to the older woman as she turned to Liam. “Thank you Doctor.”

“Your turn.” Amaltheia said rounding on Liam.

She had to stifle a laugh at his blush. It was sweet to see him cough nervously as the woman stepped towards him.

“Ma’am.” He said obviously about to protest.

Having been a doctor for a very long time she seemed to know how to work her way around the wary. Moving over to the drying rack she patted one of the cool porcelain cubes. “Right here please Chief.”

“Um… really it’s not necessary.”

“Would you rather join me on the ship for a more complete physical Sir? It is this here, or that. Those are your choices this evening. I will not be put off twice.”

He cleared his throat and bobbed his head. “Yes Ma’am.” He shuffled a step or two before brushing himself off and taking a seat as their Doctor instructed.

Amelie remained sitting watching her friend with no small amount of amusement. She had to hand it to the Matriarch. It wasn’t every day that someone could make her cantankerous Liam not only at a loss for words, but blush too! 

The exam seemed shorter than her own but none the less thorough and professional. “It seems your engineer has done a good job in protecting you, though it be at the cost of herself.”

“What?” He asked startled, his grin dissipating instantly as his eyes fell upon her. 

All eyes turned to where she was still sitting in the water and remnants of the shattered porcelain. 

“What?” Playing dumb with a woman who was at least 1000 years old wasn’t a forethought. She did however have the grace to blush, turning a pale complexion nearly neon pink when Matriarch Amaltheia gave her a knowing smile.

“Are you able to stand?” The healer asked.

“Without making a face… no.” She grumbled dropping her gaze from the aged Doctor and grimacing as she forced her injured leg to bend. It burned as she tried to stand, making Amelie shift weight to her other leg. A small hand went to the impact in her thigh and picked at some of the clinging shrapnel. It fell to the ground, each an accusation towards her well being. It hurt to pick the sharp shards from where they had pierced through her jumpsuit and so she stopped giving a veiled glance to Liam. 

He was livid. His face turning dark with the words he was holding back that it appeared a shade of purple. 

She dropped her gaze with a frustrated sigh, he was not going to buy her reasons even if she voiced them.

“Well, come on.” Amaltheia beckoned before slipping forward to wrap an arm around Amelie.

“Matriarch.” At last one of the other two spoke up. The voice was smoky and smooth, her word a clear warning.

Turning back the aged doctor caught sight of Liam, he still seemed quite angry with his young charge.

“Oh, I see.” Her Doctor slipped free moving towards him.

“Dido, please take our young one inside. I shall join you all there shortly. Chief...” She began drawing his attention and ire. “Please Chief Adama, you need not worry…”

The rest of her words were lost as they hobbled up the ramp towards the Asari hatch on the upper level. 

Quietly Amelie followed their direction. Her mind fought in turmoil. There might have been a better way to manage that but she wasn't sure how. She could have picked the pieces out all by herself and smear on some medi-gel as easily as any Doctor. It did little to assuage her guilt.  
\----------

The Lupa was an efficient design. They went from the port side hatch through decontamination into a hallway that led to the port elevator. Up one floor that spilled almost directly into Medical. It was dark, but the ships VI seemed to be on and functioning, lights popped on as they progressed. Medical lit up the moment the bay door opened.

“Can you sit?” 

It was the first question she had been asked directly from the slender Asari. Her features were an ash blue almost gray hue. Her eyes a color so dark as to be considered black. If she were asked to give the woman an age she would guess Matriarch, but it was supposed to be rare to see such a creature out of the Asari home world. If she were right about her age… she would guess there were at least 3 traveling upon this warship.

Looking to the table Amelie made a face. “Sitting is not at the top of my list right now.” She said. 

A hint of amusement crossed the sleek defenders features. “Indeed.” She intoned.

Instead of picking at the remnants of the ceramics in her side she studied this woman with genuine interest. Like her skin tone, the aura that surrounded her was muted. A silvery color of shimmery shadow. It was not the golden breathtaking halo of the Asari Captain, but it was worth a long glance.

She was beautiful, oval eyes with artistically applied eye makeup. Facial tattooing was simple and by far one of the least ornate Amelie had ever seen. Three black lines in a receding staggered formation under her right eye, the one nearest being the longest and a vertical line at the center of the bottom lip in the same color. Slender even by Asari terms, her form could be that of a dancer, sleek and willow like, but powerful. 

Even as Amelie studied her, she was being studied. “What do you see?” She asked as those ageless eyes gazed silently upon her.

The older woman tilted her head ever so slightly to the side though her gaze never wavered. “I would ask you the same thing.”

Not having a whole lot of good feedback from people about what the Synesthesia empowered her to see, she dropped her eyes and thought about a response. It was not often that someone wanted the truth. Even less wanted it from the first words off her lips. An uncensored revelation of how much she saw. Sometimes secrets revealed were better left unsaid. 

Turning eyes once again to the silent, unmoving elder Asari, Amelie pursed full lips weighing how much she should say, if anything at all. Sometimes it was in everyone's best interest to say nothing, but that was not the feeling she was getting here. No… it would be perceived as an act of cowardice to say nothing. Forearmed with this Amelie met Dido’s unflinching gaze.

“A warrior, tempered by time and discipline. None so great as your own.” She paused in thought. “You have great pride in this...” Amelie paused once more as she let her eyes unfocus on the patient defender. She imagined standing near enough to touch that silvery stealthy color… run fingers through it to better know the woman it surrounded. “...no,” Her voice wavered and grew hushed as an image of the golden Captain filled her mind. “you are proud to use such discipline in “Her” service.” Drawing herself back from that mental image caused Dido’s form to come back into focus. In those dark ageless eyes Amelie thought she saw surprise. Taking a deep breath she added. “You are quietly ridiculed for your current chosen path as many think you squander the wealth of your years...”

Their eyes held until the sound of the door opening drew Amelie’s attention, turning she saw the Doctor, missing the slight waver in the elder defenders form.

Another set of ageless eyes looked at her then beyond, a brief unreadable emotion that had Amelie turning back to look at Dido. The woman remained unchanged, dark eyes watching, her slender form swath in silver shadow.

“Do you wish privacy?” It was an open question but those dark eyes were directed at her.

“I have nothing to hide…” Amelie replied smoothly. Though scientifically she knew that Asari were not in truth female, their form was much like her own, and even if she were body shy, which she wasn’t terribly so; this felt like another test. One she had to meet like the one before.

“Do you need help?” The ashen woman stepped to one side motioning to her suit now worked half way down her side.

At first the urge to resist any form of help gave her pause, but looking to the cold examination table with no step up she would likely need some assistance. “When I am to be put on the table, yes.” Realizing that any hesitation might be read the wrong way Amelie pulled at the lapel of her jumpsuit opening the chest and pulling at the neck so she could slip out of it.

More porcelain fell to the ground as the fabric dislodged it from her flesh. Kicking boots off Amelie stepped out of the soiled remnants of her work outfit revealing the compression top that had saved her back and most of her side from the worst of the blast. Her hip and thigh however were less lucky as only a small strip of fabric that was briefs protected the soft flesh found there. “Do you need my small clothes as well?”

 

“This is sufficient.” The Doctor said and motioned to the table. 

Dido stepped forward then, and as Amelie had guessed, her body coiled with unseen strength as she was helped up onto the table. To her relief and surprise it wasn’t cold at all. A groan issued out as she lay face down upon the heated surface. A long day often left her fatigued and achy, but today it had new pains, ones that found relief in the heat the table provided. 

“Are you alright?” Dido’s smoky voice as she lifted the cloak of auburn hair and lay it over a shoulder.

“Surprised is all.” Amelie murmured turning her head as her hair was placed to one side. “Appreciative… Our clinic only has cold tables.”

It was the doctor who chuckled. “A necessary function that every clinic should have in my opinion. Heat is the body’s way of healing. Thank you Dido.”

She lay there letting herself absorb the heat while her Doctor moved about gathering items. She did not see, but heard the soft sound of relaxing music began to play. A soothing harmonic music with voice but no lyrics intended to help soothe patient and probably physician as well.

“Alright, here we go.”

Warm hands touched her. If she were surprised before about the table, the elder healer's touch was more so. Gently they braille over her skin, stroking around the small shards that remained, coaxing them out with far less pain than she had expected. Before the end of it she was asleep on the warmed table.


	4. Alítheia Mántis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The revelation of what Amelie Du Pont is, brings fear to one Asari's heart, and joy to another.

Despite the lack of design the medical facilities of Illyria were impressive. Largely due to the millions of populace that now lived here, several million of which were alien inhabitants other than Human. In less than ten years, it was the oldest and largest of the humans settlements in the Skyillian Verge… and it seemed there was little expense spared in the hospitals creation. While she was sure Constantia was going to get the best care she could in this and several system, the design of the militaristic building left much to be desired. Still… not many people were as regally dispositioned as her own. 

She stood on the outside of the glass diligently watching as a mixed company worked on her Chief Engineer. To the physician's credit they seemed able to distinguish the worst of Constantia’s injuries in lieu of the more garish ones. While a compress & meti-gel was used to stop blood loss, the damaged crest was the least of their worries.

She had been standing there watching with sharp eyes as the human doctor worked diligently for what felt like an eternity. Her comfort level an addendum in the mental report her mind was dictating as she watched, a helpless specter as others worked on her crewmember.

When summoned by Dido, Amaltheia was sure that Constantia was not only going to pull through, but look relatively whole by the end of the procedure. She looked at the glow of her omni-tool reading the summons of her trusted companion.

“Matriarch Amaltheia.”

Rhea, a native of Attena had a very distinct and academic if not sometimes archaic way with words. It was easy to know her before even seeing her. If she was here then Lady Tasoula had finished her task of overseeing the Lupa into her sickbed.  
“Rhea.” She nodded pleased to see someone else come to take her place. No doubt Dido’s doing, knowing how much she hated leaving the injured unattended. Especially at these ports away from home. 

“Has there been a turn?”

“I believe she will pull through and recover well. They will begin reconstruction on her crest soon. Are you going to be staying?”

“She will not be left alone.” Rhea replied. 

Satisfied she raised her hand turning the back to the maidens own, a glimmer of light and the address for their lodging was transferred from one omni-tool to the other. Knowledge in hand she set off to the sky taxi terminal. 

Having little need for external lodging it surprised her when a holographic map lay in their course. Having heard only stories about the supposed splendor and whispered iniquity of the larger hotels on Elysium she was a little relieved to see it was not a room in one of these but a small private estate that would be their lodging for the extent of their stay. It felt right that it was closer to where the Lupa was being housed for repairs as well, like a sick crewmate they were staying near as she was repaired and recovered from her injury. Something any good doctor could take a glimmer of pride in… or Engineer. While the car was descending she sent a quick message to Rhea to convey that information to their Chief Engineer to help raise her spirits when she awoke.

Dido was waiting for her when she landed an unparalleled expression of seriousness on her face. Despite this extreme expression Dido still offered her a hand out of the sky car. A brief glimmer in dark beautiful eyes and the smallest hint of lips curving into a smile. 

“Come, I wish to show you the gardens.” She gestured to the path beside the residence before linking their arms. Though her actions were gentle she pulled until Amaltheia followed.

They walked together along a cultured path around the small home to the back of the house where a surprisingly delightful mix of color and no small amount of work had transformed the alpine landscape into something that was breathtaking even under distressing circumstances. Not at all something she would have guessed existed on the property but a delight she would take in exploring later if there were opportunity.

When they were far enough from the home Dido turned her so that they stood face to face.

Again Amaltheia found her blood rushing at the unsettled look upon her usually unflappable companion.  
“Tell me what has possessed you.” 

“Not I, but our Peeress.”” Dido said in a hushed tone. “And it is not a what, it is a whom.”

Some calm crept back into her body at this revelation. Dido was an exceptional Head of Security, but sometimes when it came to Lady Adrasteia her fears were not unfounded but perhaps a bit over active. Long had the time passed where Lady Tasoula was a headstrong Maiden blazing a path to regain the former glory of House Adrasteia. She had the wisdom and forethought of a woman half again her elder, and commanded the love and respect of all who had since pledged themselves to not only the family name but to Tasoula herself. Still Dido’s insights were never something one should let fall on deaf ears, so she waited for her friend of many years to explain.

“There is a child…” She began only to correct herself with a sudden gesture. “A human woman in the garage, Specialist Du Pont...” Her smoky features turned a shade or two whiter as their eyes met and words failed.

Amaltheia found herself reaching a hand out to steady Dido, unsure if she were going to need it to stop her from stumbling, or if it were to help ease this emotion she was feeling. When Dido continued her words were but a whisper.

“I believe she has bespelled Lady Tasoula.”

Amaltheia blinked unsure how to proceed with such knowledge. “In what way?” 

Dido’s eyes unfocused a moment as she sought how best to explain her own fears. “She was very tired, you saw her after landing…”

She had indeed witnessed a pall come over their Lady on this trip, one that had only grown deeper in shadow when the Lupa was forced to land under emergency and life threatening conditions. Still she functioned, perhaps it was autopilot but command came naturally to Tasoula. Even under the fatigue of the exhausted, Tasoula pressed on first getting Constantia the dire help she so needed and seeing to the ships berthing in the hangar that would either patch her up or fix her ails. 

“And now?”

“Now…” Dido’s eyes tightened, full lips pressing into a frown.

“Matriarch Amaltheia?” The voice of their Charis called from the direction of the house.  
“Matriarch Dido?”

“Here Charis.” She responded to the question only seconds before Dido.

“Charis.”

Tasoula walked down the path, a woman several millennia younger. Her frame free of the weight that had so recently possessed it. Strong and sure she strode, silver eyes burning with renewed life even without a smile there was a revived warmth to her presence. It was as she saw on the day of Tasoula’s ascension. Determined and empowered to right the wrong that had crept upon her family, wiping away the smudge on the Adrasteian name.

“What news have you of Tia?” Tasoula asked as she took a relaxed position before them.

“The best I assure you. Though young the doctor is more than adequate, familiar with both Asari physiology and subsequent treatment. I believe that Constantia is in the best hands…”

“That is wonderful news!” 

A giddy delight filled Amaltheia at the tone in her Lady’s voice. Beside her Dido held a firm rigid face though she found a smile rising on her own lips in response.

“Perhaps you could come with me when I go back to the Lupa. The engineer seems unwell.” 

The consternation on Tasoula’s face made that feeling falter and worry take to Amaltheia’s heart. She blinked realizing that her Lady was projecting. This was not something to be unduly worried about in and of itself... if you were an untrained Asari child, but as a Matriarch, this gave her pause with some concern. What she saw was nothing short of a miracle, physically Lady Tasoula appeared as a woman half her age. Yet a Matriarch who projected such emotion without realization was just shy of a social disaster. Whispered words like “Senility” came to mind.

Worried about how far this undoing went, Amaltheia reached for Tasoula’s mind, it unlike her emotions held fast. Even with some probing she did not feel any weakness or leaking of her Lady’s thoughts. Though they should be cautious at this time she was leaning more towards the emotional bleed to be a true sign of Lady Tasoula’s fatigue rather than the bewitching of a human female… barely able to harness biotics, humans had little if any chance of developing powers of the body and mind that could strip even a new Matriarch in such a manner. 

Still… it would not be good to allow their Charis to venture forth in public with parts of her mental control so glaringly stripped away.  
“At what time would we be going?” She asked probing for more information, and hopefully time to find a distraction for her Lady before they ventured forth to see this bewitching human.

\----------  
Thanks to a message from Matriarch Frona, Amaltheia found herself in the hangar with Dido and Schedio Me instead. Her first introduction was a pair of intense dual colored eyes, the gray and green interwoven in a smoky forest setting captured in what felt like ancient eyes. The woman Dido had warned her about, the one her friend was sure had somehow bewitched their Charis, Specialist Du Pont was a creature like none other she had ever seen. Several parts of her stood out immediately, her eyes were beguiling, her hair a color that even humans considered rare and beautiful, and while these gave a natural depth, the black limb that was her right arm had a story all its own. 

Seconds into this quiet appraisal a warning was called out by the young woman, and she found herself pushed down by Dido. What sounded like a bomb going off was the remains of one of the cubes used to vent heat out of the Lupa’s systems. It shattered upon impact sending sharp shrapnel seeking a target for several meters before everything settled again.

With Dido’s hand up she pressed forward past her companion worried they were going to find torn and bloody bodies rather than living ones.  
“Are you okay?” She asked kneeling down beside them feeling relief flood her system when she sensed shock and worry on the female and surprise on the man.

For the briefest of seconds the idea that the Goddess was punishing her for having thought of misleading Tasoula to keep her in the house until she rested came to mind. Of course Tasoula’s distraction came by way of Matriarch Frona rather than herself… but she had been thinking how she might stop her Charis prior to Frona’s unplanned interruption. It oddly weighed upon her.

“I am fine, thanks for asking.” It was the male on the ground that answered her question. His words sparking movement in the young engineer who had curled around his body, supporting and protecting his head while absorbing the blast and the shock of their unplanned landing.

“I am a doctor, My name is Matriarch Amaltheia.” She looked down at the older male and got a long blink and boyish smile. Though laid out flat on the ground she was sure he would be just fine. The younger human however had lifted herself in a most cautious manner and instead of getting up she scoot back and sat down.

“Doctor.” A reserved statement, no sound of pain, no hint of the discomfort she was trying to hide… it amused Amaltheia in a motherly way. It seemed Asari were not the only ones to hold out when there was a Doctor in their midst.

Those beguiling eyes met hers, instantly she could see the attraction this woman held for her Captain. Her hair was a glorious riot of color held at bay poorly. Petite, strong and if Dido were to be justified… mystical. 

With the professional intimacy a Doctor was able to get away with she knelt in Specialist Du Pont’s space, stopping her from pulling away by placing hands on either side of her head.  
“Look at me.” She instructed. When their eyes met she searched them intently. There was a lot you could tell from a patient's eyes. 

“I am okay.” Engineer Du Pont said in a soft voice though her eyes never wavered.

“I will be the judge of that.” Amaltheia replied with a warm firm tone. Gently she brushed a thumb over a splotch of caked white powder knocking it to the floor. The human met her blink for blink without flinching away. An intense inquisitive expression as her own face was likely memorized. 

Content that she would not pull away Amaltheia worked her fingers into the warm damp silk of the woman’s hair, sensitive fingers caressing a well formed skull. At the back on the right hemisphere of the brain there was an unnatural seam, straight in design. Carefully she traced it, a perfect inch square where a part of the woman’s bone had been removed, and another put in its place. The brain of any creature was a complex and delicate thing, not being up on that particular member of human anatomy she could only guess as to the nature of this surgery. Whatever it was it could have caused any number of problems… revealed hidden potentials, or given a new gift. 

“What?” The much younger human asked in a hoarse whisper.

Those beautiful eyes met hers once more and she felt a shock run through her system, a shared panic of an old pain that still haunted this woman. She dismissed it immediately not only for herself but the woman who had felt it. ‘There is no need for fear.’ She thought softly. A quiet contemplation filled the Specialists eyes that seemed to see beyond the skin and bone, past the flesh and to the heart of the being. Shedding some light on Dido’s assertion she had somehow bewitched their Captain. “Ah.” She said suddenly understanding.

“You seem well.” Was her reply to the woman, though it revealed none of her own internal thoughts. 

Whatever Lady Tasoula saw in this woman it was not because she had been bespelled, at least not through any magics or being overpowered by a stronger mind. Off the top of her head she could tick off a few things that made her feel attraction to Specialist Du Pont. Those eyes being one of them. The way she watched you with such intensity and earnestness. Unabashed and total attention in and of itself could be seen as something flattering. As the human woman smiled she realized the attention of a beautiful creature was its own spell.

“Thank you Doctor.”

Giving a nod she turned to look at the older gentleman. “Your Turn.”  
Her mind brushed Dido’s with the information she had gleaned from her cursory study of the young woman. There was potential for more due to the head trauma and the more obvious removal of a limb that Specialist Du Pont had recovered from, but her magics were not something she could use as a weapon or a means of swaying a person to her will by anything more than charisma. 

Even as she gave that information Dido felt as if she were still unbelieving. She was firm in her belief that there was more to the woman than they were seeing.

She spoke with their Head of Security quietly as she wrestled with the older man. Using her own charms to sway him into submission. Something she found she must do further when his ire rose at the revelation of the injuries Amelie had tried to hide from them all.

‘What then?’ She asked the unwavering defender. When no answers returned Amaltheia shared a wave of perplexion, a mental shrug. ‘You have spent more time in her presence than I...’

“Chief…” She addressed Liam so as to draw the man's burning attention from his cowed employee. The poor creature radiated relief when she skulked off with Dido and Schedio Me to the Lupa. They would make her comfortable until Amaltheia could begin the healing process.

He cursed under his breath and ran a hand through his peppered hair. His eyes turning from that angry hard expression to something very akin to fear. “She said she would tell me if it were serious!” He said and paced the floor before her. 

“I assure you, her injury is not.”

“What?” He asked pausing in his tirade.

“It is not serious.” Dark eyes met her own and she did not flinch. What she said was the truth. “There is no pool of blood, no trail.” She said motioning to the floor where his worker had sat and the direction she had walked off to along with the help of her Asari escorts. “Her injury is probably a point of injured pride.”

“The hell it is.” He said scanning the floor even as she motioned to it. “Its a damned stubbornness thats a huge pain in my ass.”

“From her point of view her injury was due to a falter in performance. Even you could agree with this assessment. I saw her eyes as you dropped the block. It tipped the can, and the explosion did little more than pepper her posterior. Aside from the obviousness that you are much older than she, and of the opposite gender, she would likely not want to inform you of her injury for those simple facts. Worse yet her sense of guilt over the whole ordeal, and rush of fear at your own possible injury.”

His ire seemed to dissipate under the onslaught of her assessment. Anger giving way to disbelief, speculation, and then acceptance. With a hand to his face he rubbed at the stubble on his jaw giving her a hard look.

“This business has me at wit’s end.” His words a breathy growl. “You are a doctor.” He stated and she blinked giving him a nod. “Can’t you check her out?” 

“That is what I intend.” She said unsure of what specifically he wanted her to check for.

“Not that… but just to see if she is having a relapse… I know sometimes pressure on the brain can cause people to see things…”

“Is that what she is doing?” Amaltheia found his conversation helpful even though it felt disjointed.

“Hell I don’t know… “ He made a gesture in the direction the three other women had disappeared to. “...since her last surgery she has been seeing things. It did something to her.” He said getting agitated again, his voice lowering even if it did not soften. His eyes turned to her again with a hard desperate look. “Can’t you check?”

“For what specifically?” She asked needing to know more.

“Cancer. The damn stuff can grow in her bones… they took out a hunk of her noggin last time, lopped off an arm and pumped her full of drugs. Tough as hell she is, but a heads up might mean the difference between winning and losing.” He looked down upon her with such raw emotion had she been younger Amaltheia would have stepped back. “Could you check for me? Could you see if it has come back?”

Without turning she flicked on her Omni-tool and contacted the Lupa. The scan was set to decontaminate more so than body scan, but with an override and new command she was able to put the full force of the ship’s VI behind the decontamination scans. It would take longer than usual, but being it was her first time there was no way Specialist Du Pont would know.

“I will do my best.” She said to Chief Adama. “If I find anything I will let you know.” 

His relief softened all the lines on his face and gave hope to his eyes.  
“Thank you.” He said with such emotion his voice cracked. 

Sensing his care and connection to the enigmatic Specialist, Amaltheia offered the arm with her Omni-tool out to him. Pushing the sleeve of his shirt back he raised his own and they exchanged information. “I will let you know.” She said touching his arm before excusing herself. 

 

\----------  
Amaltheia turned on her Omni-tool as she walked through the Lupa reading the scans of the young human. She sighed with some relief as they showed no abnormal activity within her body. Of course the ship was not made to take neural scans, so whatever activity was there she could only guess. As for metastasizing cells and unchecked internal damages, there was none. No… whatever was the cause of the young womans pull on their Lady it was nothing so new. 

At the door of medical Amaltheia reached for the biometrics it slid open revealing their guest and Dido. Those enchanting eyes turned towards her in what appeared to be a release of Dido. Amaltheia blinked a long moment at their guest before looking to Dido with a silent question. 

Perplexed by Dido’s lack of response she looked to Specialist Du Pont and then beyond to her companion. Dido was a blank wall, her mind and all emotion locked behind formidable shields. It was the reaction she would expect of a woman under attack a staunch defense as if it had been entrenched and holding out against a stronger opponent. Dido’s ashen skin was a shade lighter, and dark eyes glimmered with the force of her defenses.

“Do you wish privacy?” Dido asked as if nothing was amiss, and perhaps to the human woman it wasn’t. 

Looking to the mystical creature she tried to see what had shaken her friend. What had caused a 1000 year old Matriarch to take a step back? A child? Or was she something more?

“I have nothing to hide.” Came the honest reply.

Their eyes met over the young woman as she began to work her way out of the ruined jumpsuit.

 

“Do you need help?” Dido asked of their charge. 

Amaltheia again found herself wondering what could have passed between them. What words or deeds could one so very young have said or done to make Dido feel vulnerable enough to blockade all emotion and thought. 

“When I am to be put on the table, yes.”

A question brought the perplexed healers thoughts once more to their injured guest. 

“Do you need my small clothes as well?”

With an appraising look she shook her head. “This is sufficient.”

When the time came Dido lowered herself to help hoist Specialist Du Pont up onto the table. Any further questions she felt and all the probing of Dido’s thoughts ceased when Amaltheia caught sight of the scars that largely centered on the right side of the Specialist’s back. 

Having helped wounded soldiers from the field of battle before, she knew that what she was looking at was not the damage left by an unskilled surgeons hand, but the remnants of an explosion. It took Dido’s gentle adjustments of their patient to pull her back to the here and now and though she glimpsed her partners eyes Dido showed no signs of hearing or even feeling her unspoken inquiries. Tilting her head she made a face that only her harried companion could see. Seeing her at last Dido gave the minutest shake of her head before she shifted to the other side of the table, looking after their charge.

With no help from Dido she began the process of aiding the injured woman. As she prepared a few tools and necessary items, an appreciative groan escaped her patient. 

“Are you alright?” Dido asked, lowering herself down to Amelie’s level. If she hadn’t been shielding so hard she would have known the answer. It seemed a revelation how her friend missed so many things without the full use of her abilities. Even if she had not sensed the relief that Amelie felt, Amaltheia saw the way muscles began relaxing. 

“Surprised is all.”

She decided that before beginning it would be good to put on some music. Dido’s void made her feel edgy, and not even their anomalous charge deserved her distraction. It helped settle her nerves, and would do the same for the injured woman on the table. 

“Alright, here we go.” She said to give warning that she was about to begin. Dido took up station nearby out of the way, her presence forgotten as Amaltheia settled into her work. To her surprise the human fell fast asleep on the table, her head propped on folded arms. There was no worry to keep her awake, no fear of attack in such vulnerability… she neither knew them or their reputations and still she allowed herself to be lulled into a deep slumber. Even though a strange Doctor of another race was treating her injuries… even though there was no fellow friend to watch over her…

Amaltheia felt both flattered and perplexed by this behavior. Humans as a whole were not known to so easily trust and their prejudice was so often felt that it gave them a reputation in the galactic community. She stood there puzzling this when Dido at last came out from behind her wall of defense. 

“You question why it is she sleeps in our presence.” She stated and Amaltheia nodded. Turning eyes to her companion she asked. “You know?”

Dido pulled a sheet from the shelf and together they unfolded it, laying it over the undressed human.  
“She does not fear us because she knows us.”

“In what manner?” How would knowing them cause a woman who has spent over 10 millennium of life into retreat? The pieces of this puzzle did not yet add up.

Dido gazed down at the woman as she tucked the sheet gently around her shoulders and arms. Her hand brushing against the auburn silk of Amelie’s hair. A gesture of such familiarity between strangers that Amaltheia felt a jolt of shock at Dido’s actions.

“Like… a trusted confidant of many years… someone who knows your inner self and accepts all that you are.” As if realizing what she had done Dido pulled her hand away drawing dark eyes up to her, they were filled with the mixed emotions the young woman had evoked in her calm usually stoic companion. “I believe she is an Alítheia Mántis. Even with all my shields up she read me...” Her voice fell off into a whisper, dark eyes dropping to the young specialist as she battled whatever secrets this woman had revealed. 

Amaltheia dropped her gaze from her friend to the sleeping woman, wondering about the chances of such a rare creature being found in her lifetime. A Seer of Truth was the stuff of lore. Of course they had come a long way since those times, and science demystified many a legend. While there were scientific ways that the mind could repair itself after severe trauma and in so doing give a person a version of this ability. Even that was a chance so great as to number the stars. In such documented cases the patient who was not born with it, usually had survived the loss of a limb. The dark composite of Specialist Du Ponts right arm had that part covered, and if Dido’s guarded features and Lady Tasoula’s own reactions were any indication Specialist Du Pont was everything legend promised her to be… 

Sitting down on a chair she watched Dido while still trying to put the final pieces into place. Neither Dido nor Ismene had been affected by their first meeting with Specialist Du Pont. They would have heard her words had she spoken to Lady Tasoula. So whatever had their Charis acting like a younger woman she had a feeling it had more to do with her physical appreciation and attraction to Amelie Du Pont, her renewed energy stemming from possible future interactions rather than previous ones.

Movement drew her eyes. Dido was standing at Specialist Du Pont’s side again. Quietly she watched her but she simply stood there, hands white on the table as if it were difficult not to touch their slumbering charge.  
‘Is it a compulsion?’ She asked in a winsome tone, caressing her friends disturbed thoughts trying not to startle her.

Those dark eyes raised before she stepped back dropping her hands giving a wan smile. “It is attractive to be so well known… don’t you agree?” 

Slowly Amaltheia nodded. “But you did not embrace it.” She pointed out. Dido blinked at her so she continued. “You have drawn away from us. Pulled your thoughts and emotions behind such fierce shielding as if you were digging in under assault.” 

Dark eyes dropped again to the sleeping Engineer, a worried expression crossing dark eyes.  
‘I want to embrace her.’ She whispered mind to mind, afraid to speak the words, afraid of the power she would imbue them with. This indeed surprised Amaltheia, like Lady Tasoula, Dido was showing herself to be stripped of some of the tells that helped define an Asari’s age. Namely their honed ability to control themselves. In action, in word, in thought… there was no such thing as an accidental bonding… but they all knew that longing at one time or another.

Dido licked her lips before speaking out loud. “When Amelie began, I was unsure if she were reading thoughts and emotions, I thought if I tightened my defenses I would stop her from reading me.” With a soft longing she blinked and pulled herself further away. “She only saw more.”

“Saw what?” She asked.

Dido shook her head looking very unsure.

From the table their charge made a small pained noise. Their conversation paused as Amaltheia rose to check on her. Specialist Du Pont woke herself sitting up in a hurry, her face contorted by what she felt. 

 

“What is wrong?” Amaltheia asked as the engineer rubbed her mechanical forearm and bicep. 

“It hurts…” The young woman said her voice colored by it. “It does sometimes…” Lips pulled back in a silent hiss, fingers clutching at the dark mechanical limb as if she were able to ease the pain if she hit the right tendon.

Dido gave her a look but Amaltheia was already moving to the cabinet where she located some medi-gel. Opening the pack she didn't even bother with a syringe, instead using it as a topical and began rubbing the soothing clear substance on the scarred connective tissue on Amelie’s neck and shoulder. Setting the pack down she lifted the engineers compression shirt just enough to get her hand up under it coating the right side of her back to help soothe the nerves that were causing the pain. 

Properly medicated the young woman slumped with a ragged sigh.

Amaltheia stood back to observe as the healing gel took effect on her charge. From a veil of spun copper their eyes met once again. She watched as the pain subsided in Amelie’s ageless eyes. She didn't however notice as time slipped while caught in the Specialists direct gaze. A thousand years seemed nothing under Amelie’s unshakable stare. 

“You… you are so beautiful…” Amelie whispered.

Caught in that gaze she felt like the child, and everything that made her who she was, each trial revealed, every secret laid bare… and all she saw in those eternal eyes was admiration and love... It was this more than the young womans words that had caused the blush. 

Amelie drew in strength like she drew in a breath, pulling herself up casting that lose hair over her shoulder and dropping her eyes as if realizing what she had done. 

It broke what ever spell that had held Amaltheia in place. Time resumed its forward progression so suddenly she found herself staring with lips parted, her breath rattled into her body and like Amelie, she had to draw back into herself. Dido stood beside her, part of her wondered when she had even moved from her place out of the way. Eyes still large with shock flit up to the solid reassuring presence of her most trusted companion. Dido looked at her with such a soft expression she couldn't help dropping her gaze as she wrestled with the onset of unexpected emotions.

From the table Amelie rasped a bashful “Thank you.” as she pulled the dark malfunctioning synthetic limb in against her body as if it had been her own and was in fact still injured.

Clearing her throat Amaltheia asked softly “Have you had your arm calibrated to fit you?” Though she was unaccustomed to cybernetics the practice was not totally foreign. At that moment her mind reached for what little she knew to anchor herself once more in the less than concrete world she found herself in. “S-Sometimes it can create feedback when body and machine disagree.” 

Like Dido had said it felt very much like a meld, one she had shared again and again until she found herself hungering for that intimate familiarity once more. She had new respect for her Charis as well as Dido under this woman's untrained gifts.

 

“Constantly...” Amelie said venturing a glance at her doctor. 

Amaltheia felt her heart rate race just from the barest glimpse but she met that gaze no matter the cost. She would do her part not to shame the woman who had inadvertently given her a piece of herself while taking a part of her own person.

The tension that had been building blessedly trickled away between them when her charge realized that she was not going to receive negative feedback from something she didn’t even understand. 

“The technicians say there isn't anything wrong with it…” Amaltheia watched as Amelie used her hair as a shield. It fell forward hiding half her face as she touched the black mechanical limb in a self conscious manner. “...they can’t do anything more for me.” Amelie said with some hopelessness.

A tone from the locked door had Amaltheia stepping forward to shield their guest with her body before she keyed the release on the door with her palm. Schedio Me stood at the door with a neatly folded stack of clothes.

A welcome interruption that allowed them all to regather themselves.

 

“Thank you.” Amaltheia said before dismissing the Maiden.  
Returning she placed the clothes gently in the undressed woman's lap while touching her still human shoulder. Though it was only the barest lean Amaltheia swallowed hard when her human patient leaned in with such trust… those mesmerizing eyes closed for what purpose she could only guess. Before she could stop herself she found her hand brushing back gossamer strands of copper. Catching herself she tucked a ribbon of it behind Ame’s ear before stepping back. 

“I uh... took the liberty of having some clean clothes delivered for you.” She turned rubbing fingers together as she pondered the ache of longing she found herself struggling with. “It is something a bit more comfortable than that suit we peeled you out of.” 

“Thank you.” Amelie said with some surprise in her voice as she looked at the black on black outfit she now held under her human hand. Fingers caressed the soft black fabrics with obvious appreciation. 

With a deep breath Amaltheia willed herself back into Doctor mode, stepping to Amelie’s side she touched the gathered sheet. “Let me have a look.”

She smiled as the young woman sat back and pulled the fabric back. “Hmmm, yes…” Her touch was strictly professional as she took note that the deepest gashes were sealed, the seeping gone with the injection of medi-gel. Any light scratches or small punctures that had peppered Amelie’s leg were gone as well. Gently she placed a palm over the once affected area. Looking to her charge she instructed.... “Let me know if there is any pain.” While her hand pressed again and again up Amelie’s once injured thigh, hip and waist she watched her face for any tells that she felt any discomfort… something she was actually more equipped to see since that moment the young specialist had read her.

“Feels fine. Some tenderness around the few places that remain, but mostly all good.” 

The piece that she had actually pried from Amelie’s thigh had left the most noticeable facial tick. All in all she was very pleased with how far they had come in such a short while. 

“Well this is good news.” Stepping back with a nod. With a motion to the clothes she said. “When you are ready, and only if you feel up to it, I am sure that Schedio Me will be very happy to assist you in diagnostics. She is our engineering disciple.”

“Oh good.” Amelie replied quickly. The luster in her eyes returned with renewed spirit and an infectious smile while their young charge slipped down from the table to dress.

There was something sweet about her response, and even childlike. It brought a smile to Amaltheia’s features.  
“A final word before you go.” She said. “If you have time tomorrow I can have one of ours look at re-calibrating your arm. I find a specialist is hard to come by, and their touch is often the thing needed most in delicate procedures.”

Amelie shimmied into the main piece of the outfit pulling until it slid over full hips before slipping arms into the sleeveless holes pulling the top up and into place with a shrug. Like a soldier there was a certain economics to her movement. It was clear that this woman had never worn Asari designs before by her expression and the inspection of the garment as she paused nearly done with the front sealing jumpsuit, her hands unfamiliar with the way it all came together.

Spirited eyes shifted to meet hers before they dropped again to puzzle the bodice together and with triumph sealed the suit closed at the shoulder. “You would do that for me?” Amelie asked and slid hands into the short jacket.

“Of course.” Amaltheia said with a soft snort. At that moment she was uncertain what she wouldn’t do for the young Alítheia Mántis. How did you deny someone who knew all the secrets and sins of your heart and still looked at you with such raw love. Like Dido she found the desire to touch that once more with everything that she was hard to resist. She found herself smiling again like a proud parent as her charge clicked the last latches into place over her chest.

It was charming how pleased Amelie was with herself at having managed to dress unaided in the same outfit that both of them were currently wearing.

“Hmm. That fits you well.” Amaltheia said.

“It does…” Dido remarked giving her a long look. One she answered with a mischievous smile.

Amelie ran hands over the ships uniform she wore and sighed. “It feels amazing.”

“Doesn’t it?” Amaltheia asked her smile growing once more. She felt rather playful as an idea solidified in her mind. Lady Tasoula had shown interest in this woman, her very presence enlivening their weary Peeress… and as her physician she was prescribing some downtime with this unique individual for their Lady.

“Were you interested in that recalibration?” She asked as they seemed to have gotten sidetracked.

“I am up to try, yes.” Amelie admitted looking between the two of them.

“Good. May I contact you by omni-tool?”

“Oh, yes. That would be good.”  
She raised her arm to meet that of their young engineer causing the bright orange interface to lite up as they exchanged information.  
“Excellent. I shall contact you tomorrow with a time as soon as I know when they are available.”

She received a smile. “Thanks Doc.” 

“Thank you Amelie.”

Schedio Me stood outside the door waiting for her human counterpart.  
“Are you better?” She asked in a light but hopeful voice.

“I am.” She heard just before the door shut.

Amaltheia blew out a long breath when only she and Dido remained. Turning in her seat she looked to her partner with a cheeky grin.

“This is not the expression I expected to find you wearing.” 

She laughed at the way her companions dour expressions returned so easily. 

“She will be perfect for Lady Tasoula.” 

“What are you saying?” Dido asked stepping into her space. “She is a dangerous child.” 

“Not even you believe that lie…”

“Perhaps not…” Dido muttered but she didn’t back down. “She is not stable.”

Crossing her arms she gave her partner an incredulous look.

“You know what I mean… I invited her to read me, but you! She rolled you under so quickly without invitation or effort!”

She blinked confused by these words. “What do you expect her to do to Lady Tasoula? Brainwash her? Steal what little she has left in worldly possessions?” She snorted. “Tarnish her maidenly virtues?”

“This isn’t a game ‘Theia! It is my job to protect her, how can I do that against an Alítheia Mántis!”

“She didn’t assault me...” Reaching out she caught Dido’s hand. “Where does this fear come from?” Their eyes met and she saw the truth in those dark eyes. “You could not see her… your shields only blocked you.”

“Explain.”

Pulling gently she forced Dido to make a choice, sit or kneel. On her knees before her now hungry dark eyes met hers.

“I will show you.” She whispered before their minds touched.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alítheia mántis - truth seer - some one who can see all that you are and reveal the truth about your nature. In Asari legend they were revered for their abilities even though science has largely unraveled their mystery, they still have some mystique about them. Partly because how rare they are, and partly because of how much they know with out ever being told, or in Asari cases, melded with.

**Author's Note:**

> Special notes Thanks to Joking611 for allowing me to apply some of their world to mine. I gave up writing my Shephard/Liara story because yours was so amazing. Thanks~
> 
> Attena for Dummies
> 
>  **Charis** \- khä'-rēs - GRACE - Noun - A title of someone who is Xenia. A chosen family elevated to the status of a minor noble house and given protection by a great house for services rendered. They are not slaves but are bound by honor to serve.
> 
>  **Xenia** \- the generosity and courtesy shown to those who are far from home and/or associates of the person bestowing guest-friendship. The rituals of hospitality created and expressed a reciprocal relationship between guest and host expressed in both material benefits (such as the giving of gifts to each party) as well as non-material ones (such as protection, shelter, favors, or certain normative rights). i.e. a lesser house given honor by a great house, bringing the receiver of said grace into the status of minor nobility.


End file.
